Grey’s mind immediately drifted back to the moment he had comprehended the ancient technique.

It had come from the mysterious old man who guarded a collection of mysterious stone slabs within the crimson world where the Soul Ascendancy Realm expert had fallen.

After comprehending the technique, Grey had naturally attempted to activate it. However, to his surprise, nothing happened.

Well, almost nothing.

The only reaction he received was a slight stirring from the small nail embedded within his mind.

At first, Grey had been confused. The technique had clearly entered his consciousness, yet it seemed completely unusable.

It wasn’t until later that he arrived at a possible conclusion.

The ancient technique likely required an activation process before it could be used.

Fortunately, this wasn’t an unfamiliar concept.

Almost every Emperor-level cultivation art in his possession had required some form of activation energy before its true power could be displayed. Some required blood essence, some demanded spiritual intent, while others needed special treasures or unique environmental conditions.

The real problem wasn’t understanding that the technique needed activation.

The problem was figuring out what exactly could activate it.

And despite thinking about it repeatedly during the past several months, Grey had been unable to find an answer.

"No. It’s not that I can’t think of anything."

Grey slowly shook his head.

Although he had deliberately avoided dwelling on the matter, a vague feeling had lingered within him ever since he obtained the technique.

To activate it, he would likely need to wield a portion of the world’s power.

The power of the world.

A force that stood far above ordinary spirit energy.

Only cultivators who had entered the Spirit Core Formation Realm could begin touching that level of power.

Whether it was Qi Accumulation or Foundation Establishment cultivators, they still relied primarily on spirit energy and the strength of their physical bodies to fight.

They simply weren’t qualified to manipulate the world’s power.

"But if that’s true..." 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Grey narrowed his eyes slightly.

"The old man specifically said there was only one technique I could comprehend at my current realm."

A thoughtful expression appeared on his face.

"If he knew I couldn’t use it yet, why would he give it to me in the first place?"

The more he thought about it, the more contradictory it seemed.

The old man had spoken with certainty.

His words had not sounded like those of someone making a mistake.

For several moments, Grey silently pondered the issue.

Eventually, he exhaled softly.

"There’s no point jumping to conclusions."

"Perhaps there really is a way to activate it while still in the Foundation Establishment Realm."

A faint glimmer appeared in his eyes.

"Or perhaps the old man was interpreting information that was already outdated."

After all, according to the records he had learned, thousands of years had passed since the dreadful descent of God.

Over such an immense period of time, countless things changed.

Cultivation systems evolved and were influenced due to the appearance of corrosive substance.

Techniques and arts were modified, while knowledge was lost and rediscovered.

It wasn’t impossible that the requirements of the ancient technique had changed after Go descended. In fact... it was very possible.

After reaching this conclusion, Grey stopped dwelling on the matter.

No amount of speculation would give him answers.

Only time would.

Several minutes later, he adjusted his course and continued his journey toward Sky Mist City.

He had been absent from the sect for many months.

At this point, he wouldn’t be surprised if he had already been removed from his position as vice-captain.

Although the captain had promised to handle everything, Grey wasn’t foolish enough to place complete trust in someone else’s assurances.

Besides...

There was another reason he wanted to return.

Ange.

Thinking about the young woman with auburn hair and the faint medicinal fragrance that always seemed to linger around her, Grey unconsciously revealed a faint smile.

The smile only lasted for a moment before disappearing once more.

Soon afterward, the vast sea returned to silence.

Grey resumed his cultivation while steadily making his way toward the sect.

Days passed one after another.

During that time, he occasionally sensed powerful cultivators flying overhead in enormous magic ships.

Whenever that happened, he would quietly alter his route and avoid contact entirely.

Several times, he also encountered powerful sea creatures lurking beneath the dark waters.

Any creature whose battle strength exceeded three Spirit Fire manifestations was immediately avoided.

It wasn’t because Grey feared fighting them.

Rather, he wanted to avoid unnecessary trouble.

With his current strength, creatures possessing three Spirit Fires could still be dealt with quickly.

Anything stronger, however, would require a prolonged battle.

And prolonged battles inevitably attracted attention.

At present, Grey had only opened slightly over seventy spirit perforations and theoretically possessed the cultivation of two Spirit Fires.

If he suddenly displayed strength capable of defeating powerful opponents far beyond that level, questions would naturally arise.

The closer he got to the sect, the more cultivators and merchant ships he encountered.

This region of the sea was far busier than the remote waters he had traveled through previously.

The last thing Grey wanted was to attract the gaze of powerful experts.

"In another six days, I should reach the sect."

He stood at the front of his magic ship, gazing toward the distant horizon.

"I wonder if anything significant has happened during my absence."

However, before he could continue his thoughts, his expression suddenly changed.

Far away in the sky, he noticed a tiny point of light.

At first glance, it looked no different from a distant star.

Yet Grey’s instincts immediately screamed danger.

The bright dot tore through the sky with terrifying speed.

Within moments, it grew larger.

And larger.

And larger.

Until it resembled a blazing meteor descending from the heavens.

At the exact same moment Grey noticed it, the approaching figure also noticed him.

A cruel laugh suddenly echoed across the sea.

Immediately afterward, an angry roar exploded through the air.

"Haha! I’ve finally found you!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The surrounding atmosphere violently trembled.

The blazing figure accelerated even further.

Its speed exceeded anything Grey had ever witnessed before.

The air itself seemed unable to withstand such velocity.

Before Grey could react further, the figure crashed directly into his magic ship.

BOOM!

An earth-shattering explosion erupted.

Wooden fragments scattered in every direction.

The entire vessel was instantly reduced to splinters.

Towering waves surged across the sea as shockwaves spread outward.

For a brief moment, Grey vanished within the destruction.

However, he was nowhere near the wreckage.

Several hundred meters away, Grey stood suspended in the air.

His expression was ice-cold.

His eyes were emotionless.

Yet beneath that calm exterior, terrifying killing intent surged like an erupting volcano.

A dangerous light flashed within his pupils.

The salty sea breeze mixed with the pungent scent of dead sea creatures drifting through the air.

Gradually, the dust cloud created by the explosion began to disperse.

As visibility returned, Grey finally saw the culprit.

A middle-aged man dressed in flowing white robes stood calmly amidst the wreckage.

Most of his hair remained black despite his age.

The long strands danced wildly in the wind.

Yet none of those features were what caught Grey’s attention.

What truly drew his focus was the overwhelming aura radiating from the man’s body.

It was immense.

Vast.

Oppressive.

Grey had never felt such pressure before.

The surrounding air seemed heavier merely because of the man’s presence.

A trace of apprehension surfaced within Grey’s heart.

This was undoubtedly a Spirit Core Formation cultivator.

And not an ordinary one.

The man’s cultivation was likely at an extremely high level even among Spirit Core Formation experts.

Yet rather than fear, Grey’s killing intent only intensified.

His magic ship had been destroyed without warning.

Months of travel had ended in a single instant.

That alone was enough to ignite his anger.

Still, reason prevented him from acting rashly.

The aura before him was simply too dangerous.

"You don’t seem to remember me."

The middle-aged man calmly dusted off his robes as if he had merely stepped through a puddle rather than destroyed an entire magic ship.

His voice was neither loud nor threatening.

Yet every word carried immense pressure.

"Don’t worry."

A cold smile slowly spread across the man’s face.

"I’ll help refresh your memory."